The Kitchen Timer
by illegiblewriter
Summary: *One-Shot* How much can you find out about a person in two minutes? And what if that person doesn't say a word? As it turns out, Bulma and Vegeta can have a full-blown conversation under just these circumstances. A peak into their unorthodox relationship.


**The Kitchen Timer**

"All right, Vegeta," Bulma slammed the book on the counter and marched deliberately into the kitchen, leaving her worn-out partner to stare blankly at the wall in the living room. While observing the peculiar pattern of the textured walls Vegeta dully noted the bangs and slams of drawers and cabinets on the other side of the wall. Curious, but not enough to seem so, he waited patiently for the blue-haired woman to return and explain exactly _what_ she had planned this time. It wasn't like he could blame her. He'd expected some sort of uproar over what he had done, and he was surprised she'd made it all the way through dinner and putting Trunks to bed before exploding in his face about it. Another slam, accompanied by an "aha!" echoed from the kitchen and Vegeta wondered exactly what it was she had been looking for. Mere moments after this thought crossed his mind; Bulma appeared in the doorway holding a small white box in one hand.

"Okay," she repeated, and took in a deep breath, "for two minutes—just _two minutes_—" she began winding up what he now saw was a cooking timer, "I want you to _not _act like yourself," and with a final slam of the timer down on the coffee table, she lunged at him, flinging her arms around his neck and burrowing her face into his chest. After a few stunned seconds had passed the Prince realized that not only was she _hugging_ him, but she was _crying_ into his shirt as well.

"Don't you ever—_ever_—do something like that again, you stupid, stupid—" but it seemed there wasn't a word fitting enough for what Bulma thought Vegeta was as stupid as, so she let _that_ drop and began to shout out another rant, while alternately hugging and banging her fists against his chest.

"What did you think that would accomplish, huh? _Die _saving us—as if we could live without you!

"What? Did you think _killing yourself_ could make up for all those other people you've killed?" And then, as if she was reading his mind, "and I'm not talking about the ones in the stadium either. You're always looking for ways to end your guilt.

"Dammit! It's like—like you don't think I already know everything. Like I haven't accepted you and taken you back _every fucking time _you left me or insulted me or threatened to kill everyone on Earth! As if I haven't loved you enough for you to know there's no need to apologize!

"Fuck you, Vegeta! Fuck you and your fucking pride and all the fucking insecurities that make you a shitty person." She was practically screaming in his ear at this point, but his face remained motionless even as she shook his shoulders with all her might.

"Damn! It's just," she faltered when she looked in his emotionless eyes, and stopped shaking him. Now she pursed her lips and went back to her hug-as-astrangle-hold, "you don't have to do anything else. You have nothing to prove to me. I already know.

"I already know, Vegeta, and… I love you, too," she whispered.

Nothing passed for the duration of Bulma's proclaimed "moment of silence". She sniffled a little, but mostly kept her face close to his chest and her arms wrapped as tightly around him as humanly possible. Vegeta made no response to return the hug, but simply let her cling to him like a very large, very blue leech. Maybe it wasn't very romantic, but the fact that he didn't push her away let Bulma know she was safely navigating around the line that Vegeta had drawn up so many years ago about non-intercourse-related displays of affection.

When the alarm finally buzzed, breaking the inexplicable period of solitude, Bulma rushed to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand and hurriedly ran to the coffee table and shut off the alarm, never looking her partner in the eye.

Vegeta watched as she deftly erased all evidence of what had just passed, straightening her clothes, combing through her hair—eerily masking all that she had just unleashed.

Without saying a word he strode over to where she was standing, knocked the timer out of her hands and forcefully pushed her back into his embrace. She froze, as stunned at his actions as he had been by hers earlier, and then wrapped her arms around him once more. Unlike the last time, she didn't cry and she didn't hold on to him for dear life; but instead closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, taking in every sensation of his arms around her.

**A/n:** Hum dee dum dum… so, my first B/V ever, hope you like! I was going to add in more explanation as to what was going on, but I actually like the way this goes just as it is. Please review and leave suggestions: Do you think I should add more explanation? Anything missing? Critiques? Comments? Too confusing? Review and let me know!


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